The story below was reported by ABC online on Tuesday December 11.  It outlines concerns over the WA government’s ‘three strikes and you’re out’ policy for public housing tenants, something that was being considered her by ex-Housing Minister Flegg.

The Housing Minister Terry Redman has rejected criticism that the State Government’s three strikes housing policy is adversely impacting on children.

The Equal Opportunity Commissioner Yvonne Henderson wants the policy reconsidered because she say it results in a high number of Aboriginal families being evicted from public housing.

She says while traditionally most complaints to the commission have been about discrimination in the workplace, the biggest increase in complaints concerns accommodation.

Ms Henderson says there has been a 65 percent increase in those complaints.

She says many of those are coming from Aboriginal families with children, living in overcrowded homes.

 “There’s no doubt that many Aboriginal families live in those circumstances,” she said.

“And, often a number of the people crowding into the tenant’s house are themselves waiting for public housing so they’re on waiting list but they have nowhere else to go.”

 Ms Henderson says it is the children who suffer the most.

“The people at the end of this process who are most disadvantaged are the children so the families with children who’re then evicted and have nowhere to go, they are the ones that bear the brunt of this,” she said. 

Terry Redman says the welfare of children is a priority when strikes are issued.

“We have an agreement with the Department of Child Protection where whenever we issue a strike they are notified,” he said.

“And, we certainly don’t kick people out onto streets.

 “We work very carefully with the people that are involved to ensure that they have places to go and to ensure that the kids are looked after.”